Petite in stature yet a
powerhouse in her field, actress Rita Dominic tells NET about her
experience as a first time producer, the many challenges she has had to
face since becoming an actress, and how she feels about the growth of
Nollywood.
You’ve been off the scene for a while now. Where have you been?
I was working, re-inventing myself, shooting my films and starring in different films for other people, and now is my comeback.
You have spent over 12 years in the industry, building a reputation as an actress, what made you decide to veer into production?
I just wanted to give something back to
an industry that has done so much for me; that’s why in the movie, I
didn’t play the major role. We have Linda Ejiofor and Femi Jacobs,
two up and coming actors, who played the lead roles. These are people
who are very talented and need to be encouraged. Again, after acting for
so many years in the industry, one wants to try other aspects of film
making. I knew I always wanted to try production and I felt last year
was the best time to.
How do you respond to speculation that you went into production because acting roles weren’t coming as they used to?
No. If I was going into production to
make sure people keep seeing me, I would have cast myself as the lead
role in the movie. I have a passion for the arts, I have always wanted
to try out all the aspects of production. It is my way of giving back to
the industry by encouraging new talent. A lot of people have the notion
that people in the industry don’t want to give the new people an
opportunity, but that is not true.